Get away if you can2022.
Written and directed by Dominique Braun and Terrence Martin.
With Dominique Braun, Terrence Martin, Ed Harris, Riley Smith and Martina Gusman.
SYNOPSIS:
A struggling married couple hopes that sailing across the ocean could rekindle the spark that’s been lost between them. But, their relationship is brought to breaking point when one refuses to explore a mysterious desert island.
The married film crew of Dominique Braun and Terrence Martin (also playing the lead roles here) placemat Get away if you can oddly enough. On a boat, it’s crystal clear that the central couple, TJ and Domi, are disconnected from each other, as the title flashes across the screen one word at a time. In an age where many movie titles are fast-paced and generic, this one stands out and delivers a sense of dread (who should run away and why should they).
Then the characters start talking, revealing unconvincing amateur performances. However, this is not what necessarily flows Get away if you canconsidering that there is a degree of intrigue in these people’s lives and what fractured their love life so much that a sailing trip (the film begins three weeks later) became a last-ditch effort to rekindle the romance.
Flashbacks repeatedly shatter the present, allowing for insight into TJ and Domi’s opposing family life. The first was raised by the chauvinistic Alan (a red-pilled Ed Harris, deservedly creepy in the role). He’s also persuasive to indoctrinate his ugly beliefs to his adult children (TJ has a successful financial advisor brother played by Riley Smith).
Alan also preaches an unhealthy work pace, promising that the family surfing business will one day be TJ’s. As a result, TJ becomes so buried in this work (you never quite know what makes the work so exhausting, which takes into account much bigger issues with the story) that he loses every last bit of his libido and is unable to please the carefree artsy hippie Domi, who is practically always aroused.
Domi often makes unrequited sexual advances to TJ on the boat, rejecting his advances because the spark isn’t there. That’s a guess, by the way, as it’s often confused as to why TJ no longer has romantic interest in Domi. Yes, there is his toxic upbringing and constant environment of a male father who sees women as something to dominate and his gender as the captain of relationship dynamics.
Still, there’s nothing to suggest why things are falling apart on his end other than the non-existent sexual energy, which also doesn’t make much sense since it’s unclear why he’s no longer attracted or why his job exhausted him so much. Someone who has a new job certainly upsets a routine, but to this extent? It’s just confusing trying to identify TJ’s blockages.
Meanwhile, Domi is masturbating on her own. Aside from scuba diving, art, and travel (all three barely playing a part in his character), there’s not much to say about Domi except that the character is defined by his libido. By extension, so is this distant relationship. What’s most shocking about this is that the actor is also one of the screenwriters; how do you write your own character so simply?
Nevertheless, TJ and Domi argue because the former took her father’s words at face value and doesn’t want her to make any decisions. Domi wants to stop and visit the nearby island, but TJ refuses because, as a man, he has to stick to a plan. This causes Domi to run away and hang out on the island, following TJ drinking himself to sleep.
The only scenes that are worthwhile here are the flashbacks of the two protagonists. Ed Harris is all rage and anger, but it’s likely that one can buy TJ over his father’s personality or find the courage to break that chain and remain the sensitive, more adventurous type that Domi loves. There are also storylines between father and brother to break up the couple, ensuring that TJ stays focused on the family business. Domi also has flashbacks communicating with her sister (Martina Gusman) about the love and strains in the relationship, met with kindness and support that make for an interesting juxtaposition regarding the central couple’s family life.
What Remains is a film where the flashbacks are more compelling than the time at sea, which boils down to TJ and Domi wandering around (at the very least, the sights and sounds are pretty and skillfully shot). There’s also a secondary kick in the gut in that, while the acting leaves something to be desired, the writing runs in circles and is uninspired. If that wasn’t enough, Get away if you can also features wildly out of place music; think electronic rave style as the characters contemplate life on an island.
It’s frustrating that the ideas are clunky here, given that it’s worth exploring how some grown men become misogynistic jerks as products of their environment. Still, the script turns everything into a tedious boredom (the movie is only about 75 minutes long). There are elements to be curious about here, but for the most part viewers are the ones who should get away while they can.
Scintillating Myth Rating – Movie: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the editor of Flickering Myth Reviews. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter Where Letter boxor email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
